Rino Corso Fougier (14 November 1894 in

Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...

– 24 April 1963 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

) was a general of the Italian Royal Air Force. From 1940 to 1941 he served as the commander of the

Corpo Aereo Italiano The ''Corpo Aereo Italiano'' (literally, "Italian Air Corps"), or CAI, was an expeditionary force from the Italian ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force) that participated in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz during the final months o ...

which, in concert with the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, took part in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

. From 1941 to 1943 he commanded the ''Regia Aeronautica''. He was awarded the

German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in January 1943.

Military career

On 31 December 1912 he enlisted in the Royal Army and participated in the course for additional officer student. He was appointed second lieutenant of the Infantry in 1914 and was entrusted with the command of a platoon of cyclist Bersaglieri. He participated in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the

7th Bersaglieri Regiment The 7th Bersaglieri Regiment ( it, 7° Reggimento Bersaglieri) is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Altamura in Apulia. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and operationally assigned to the Mechan ...

. On June 23, 1915, he was wounded by a mine during a reconnaissance mission to the quarries northwest of

Seltz Seltz (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of the Grand Est region in north-eastern France. It is located on the Sauer river near its confluence with the Rhine, opposite the German town of Rastatt. History The former Celtic settlement ...

, but he continued to serve. For this act of heroism, he was awarded the

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

. On 29 June 1916, he went to the Aviator Schools Battalion as an aspiring pilot student: in

Venaria Reale Venaria Reale ( pms, La Venerìa) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin. Venaria Reale borders the municipalities of Robassomero, Caselle Torinese, Druent ...

on Blériot and in Cascina Costa on SAML/Aviatik BI and S. 200, obtaining a pilot's license on 26 October and that of military pilot on 4 February 1917. Assigned to the 113th Squadron, he participated in several fights. In April, Lieutenant Fougier commanded the 1st Section of SAML S.1 in

Feltre Feltre ( vec, Fèltre) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwes ...

. On May 20, 1917, he engaged in aerial combat with three Austrian fighters, including the

Hansa-Brandenburg D.I The Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, also known as the KD (''Kampf Doppeldecker'') was a German fighter aircraft of World War I. Despite poor handling characteristics it was put into service by Austria-Hungary, where some aircraft served until the end of ...

of the

Godwin Brumowski __NOTOC__ Godwin Karol Marian von Brumowsky (26 July 1889 – 3 June 1936) was the most successful fighter ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force during World War I. He was officially credited with 35 air victories (including 12 shared with ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

claiming the eighth victory, in collaboration with the ace Károly Kaszala (8 wins), over the Banjšice Plateau, with the plane out of order he was wounded twice and received another silver medal. From 2 December 1917 he commanded the 70th Fighter Squadron, flying the Hanriot HD.1, until January 1918. On 12 January, he commanded the 5th Defense Section of Padua, flying the

Nieuport 27 The Nieuport 27 (or Nieuport XXVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a World War I French sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed by Gustave Delage. The 27 was the last of the line of Nieuport "V-strut" single seat fighters that began with the Ni ...

, until March. In March, he flew with the 83rd Marcon Squadron. On 18 March he went with the 1st Section to the San Pietro in Gu airfield and on March 22 he commanded the squadron on Nieuport 27; on 23 August he received promotion to captain of the Bersaglieri. On 14 September Fougier with Sergeant Adamo Bortolini, soldier Romeo Sartori and Lieutenant Enrico Rizzi shot down a hunting Albatros on Arsiè. On 16 September, Fougier claimed a small two-seater in Val di Nos di Gallio and on 4 October the department moved to Poianella di Bressanvido. From April 1919 he was with the 87th Airplane Squadron. He received a third silver medal. On 10 April 1921, he moved to the Air Force, going to the 3rd Air Force Grouping as squadron leader. In 1923, he was in command of the 83rd Serenissima Squadron. On October 16, 1923, he moved to the Corps of Staff of the Regia Aeronautica as a captain of the Air Force, a fighting role as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Territorial Air Zone (ZAT) until 1 June 1928. In 1925 he was promoted to major and in 1927 to lieutenant colonel. From 1 June 1928 to 1 June 1933, he commanded the 1st Stormo Caccia Terrestre, receiving the praise of

Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young a ...

. In 1930 in

Campoformido Campoformido ( fur, Cjampfuarmit) is a town and ''comune'' in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy, with a population of 7743 (December 2019). It is notable for the Treaty of Campo Formio. History Campoformido is a village not far from Udin ...

, he founded the first aerobatic flight school with the Fiat C.R.20, where the

Frecce Tricolori The ''Frecce Tricolori'' (; literally "Tricolour Arrows"), officially known as the ''313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori'' ("313th Acrobatic Training Group, National Aerobatic Team (PAN) Frec ...

would soon be born. On 9 April 1931, he was promoted to colonel. From June 1933 to March 1934 he commanded the III Air Brigade. From 1 July 1935 to 16 December 1937, he commanded the air force of Libya at the request of the commander of Libya, Balbo. On 17 February 1936, he became an Air Division general. During the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...

, he was in command of the air force in

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Seco ...

. Then he participated in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Between 29 December 1937 and 1 August 1938, he was inspector of schools and then commander of the 3rd Territorial Air Zone (ZAT) until 1 September 1939. On 14 April 1939 he became an air squad general and commanded the 3rd Air Squad from 1 September and from 15 May 1940 the 1st Air Squad until 15 June 1941. Between 10 September 1940 and 28 January 1941 he participated in the Battle of Britain in command of the

Italian Air Corps The ''Corpo Aereo Italiano'' (literally, "Italian Air Corps"), or CAI, was an expeditionary force from the Italian ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force) that participated in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz during the final months o ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. After

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

's decision to dismiss General Francesco Pricolo, from 15 November 1941 to 27 July 1943 he held the position of Undersecretary of State for the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He was finally promoted to general in the air force on October 28, 1942. After the fall of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

, on 27 July 1943, he was removed from office and retired to private life. He died on 24 April 1963.

External links

Aeronautica Militare - Biografia Generale di Squadra Aerea Rino Corso Fougier
(Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Corso Fougier, Rino 1894 births 1963 deaths Italian Air Force generals Italian military personnel of World War I Italian World War I pilots Members of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations People from Bastia Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Regia Aeronautica chiefs of staff Regia Aeronautica personnel of World War II